George Gee kept the Soldiers Return in Abbey St. in the 1830s and 1840s which can be verified by a couple of court cases. Aug 1837 George played the good guy when he informed on Daniel Harris to PC 21 after buying a handkerchief from Harris for 1/- believing it to be stolen, eventually Harris was charged with breaking and entering stealing silver and other items including the handkerchief Harris was convicted on two separate robberies, a verdict of guilty, sentenced to Death recorded.
In July 1839, two men were arrested in the Soldiers Return after carrying out a robbery on a surgeon outside in Abbey St. the two men Thos Needham 16 and Thos Over 21 violently robbed Mr Watson Manby as he was walking down Abbey St, He met 5 men who knocked him to the ground robbing him of a lancet case and two lancets (surgical instruments) Mary King deposed she saw both men with three sweeps drinking in the Soldiers Return. Needham and Over were apprehended near the Wellington Castle by Policeman Condon who searched the two men finding the lancets. Both were found guilty and sentenced to 10 years transportation.
Later in August of the same year George was dismissed on the charge of after hours drinking as he wasn’t present in the pub when his daughter served some ale. He was noted to be of good character, which helped his cause.
George died in December 1844 after suffering a bout of asthma aged 54, the newspaper report said he was well respected and a staunch reformer.
Little is known of the Soldiers Return after George death: it is possible that a name change occurred.